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About The west shore. (Portland, Or.) 1875-1891 | View Entire Issue (May 1, 1883)
i6 THE WEST SHORE. M ay, 1883. of wme seventy feel, and with a depth of four or five feet, through the pure, deep green of which the hardly wavering outlinei of the brown boul den beneath are distinctly visible, springi to the crekt with an intemity of motion that makes its clear depths fairly seem to quiver. Just before making the plimg', the itream is again contracted, and the water is thrown in from both sides toward the center, so that two Ixild, rounded prominences or but tresses, as it were, are formed where green and while commingle. Lying prostrate and look ing down into the depth, with the cold breath of the canyon fanning the face, one can see that these ribs continue downward, the whole mass of the fall gradually breaking into spray against the air, until lost in the vast cloud of vapor that hides its lowest third, and out of which, 390 feet beneath, comas up a mighty roar that shakes the hills and communicates a strange vibration to the nerves, From far bJow this cloud emerges a narrow, green ribbon, winding and twisting, in which the river is hardly recognizable, so dwarfed is it, and creeping with so oily and sluggish a current, as though its fall had stunned it. On either hand the walls of the canyon curve back from the plunging torrent, and rise, weltering with moisture, to the level of the fall, again ascending 500 or 600 feel to the pine-fringed margin of the canyon ; pinnacles and towers projecting far into the space lelween, and seeming to overhang their bases. These details are comparatively easy to give, but how find words which shall suggeM the marvelous picture as a whole ! The sun had come out, after brief shower, and, shining nearly from the meridian straight into the canyon, flooded it with light, and illuminated it with a wealth and luxu nance of color almost sii)ernatural. The walls appeared to clow with a cold, inward radiance of their own, and gave back tints of orange, pink, yellow, red, while and brown, of a vividness and malvrnes holiest to derail, and which would overtax the powers of the greatest artist to portray. The lower .lopes, wet with spray, were decorated with the rich hue of vegetation, whili through the midst, (he river, of a still more bril 1 ( nl hmaii fa 1 1 .. ... . . . , , . . ...... k.vm, ... kiiiw, punueu iis toriuoiis course. ml the eye followed it down through this ocean .l.i 1 1 n I 1 1 I u. ... . I . 1 ... v...... uirrc iiiurs away, a curve In the ranyon hid It from view, ami formed own appropriate background." I... I. I . L ju.i uriuw me canyon we come to Tower creek up which a short distance are the beautiful Towr.a rALt.s. l-es grand than the imoirig ones of the main stream, yel they are a pleasant sight to behold, as Ihe water shoots with the speed of an arrow over the brink and falls in a solid mass 156 feet int. m poi neiow. Si)P1 Lieutenant Doan 1 " Noih Ing can l more chastely beautiful than this lovely cascade, hidden away in the dim light of over shadowing nicks and woods, its very voice hushed io a low murmur, unheard at the distance of lew hundred yards. Thouunds might rasa bv - " "" " n no aream of its existence. Crossing the Yellowstone i, ,u , ..uKC, ur,. ,ne moutn 01 Tower creek, wevi.it a region as yel but l,nle flequcnlfU bv ouri, lying h(y miles to the southeast, and bearing the WMIHIMlPi II1IC IN HOOtXH) fcAMN, Haiti, asx .- l . i ! HUC u, uoodo., mountain, ob. rrw nr. at a distance, i. !,. ., surrounded by hills, containing nxky pill4I shafts and spires of the most fantastic shapes, and resembling animals, men, churches, and a multi tude of animate and inanimate objects, only imited by the imagination of the beholder. The storms of ages have worn among them deep, nar row, tortuous channels, through which the visitor wanders as in a bewildering labyrinth. It is a wierd spot, and one never tires of threading these rocky mazes and gazing upon Timessculpturings. Retracing our steps to Baronet s bridge, we again cross the Yellowstone, and four miles be yond come to the PETRIFIED FOREST, hich consists of a cluster of petrified trees, still standing as in life, and very curious to behold. Ilcyond this we find the East Gardiner river falls, two in number, and very beautiful. Three miles farther we reach the Mammoth springs, our starting point, and bid farewell to the "Enchanted Land." We now return to Livingston and resume our journey eastward, passing down the beautiful YELLOWSTONE VALLEY. From the point where the river bursts through the mountain barriers, it flows through a grad ually widening valley, and between mountains that sink by degrees into a broad expanse of roll ing prairie, until it unites with the Missouri more than 500 miles to the northeast. Soon alter leaving Livingston the stream is crossed, and we continue down the south bank through the little valleys that lie along its many small tributaries. Opposite to us is Shields river, along which is a splendid farming country partially settled. This region is naturally tributary to Livingston. Three times more we cross the river, forced to do so by the course of the stream in first hugging one side 01 the valley and then the other. Finally, after running for many miles down the north bank, we come to HILLINGS, a uisiance 01 115 miles Irom Livingston. This is an enterprising town, less than two years old, and namen in nonor of rtcderick F. Billintrs. late president of the Northern Pacific. It nils fl nnn. ulalion of about 1,200, and is the teat of justice of the recently-created ennntv nf v.ii... t - w. muivsiunc. the vicinity ar m,nu ...i ...uuuuu acres 01 tine agri cultural land, especially in Clarke', fork bottom " ,unB me north hank of the river for thirtv, five miles. The railroad lands in this fertile region, amounting to nearly 60.000 k.... I - ' I'ttYt purcnasen ry the M. 4 M. L. & I. Co. proprietor 01 the town site. The company is ,mnense ditch for irrigating th v v,,.i, wnicn wi 1 soon lv rr More than 100,000 acre, will thus be ren!ercd " the supply of water is abundant -.... o, crop, will be almost unknown. The even.numl,ed .ec.ion, are government land 7" la"en are open to setil,. :; ,r:acres-inn.hi.year, 'i"us is expected. C ui came irom the surround here lor shipment, h 'reat numbers mg ranges are broughl IS exmrtrl Ik.t T)MI "I be chosen by the railroad company a, , U.a non ,or Urge machine shops. Vurk Z I "UIK will "e commenced nn ... . .. ..in, .hrough-thr,;; win ue com deled th s sM.n vu is madr t . i connection LW u fem00 lhe ,rade "vel of LpP Monun. wiU p,,, ,immK " of --la tUIUg, Soon after leaving Clarke's fork bottom th. road again crosses the Yellowstone and runs for miles through the CROW RESERVATION, which extends along the river for 200 miles. housands of acres of valuable agricultural and grazing land are within its limits, useless to the Indians and witi.held from the whites. On the opposite side of the river many settlements are be ing made. It will be a matter of a few years nly when this whole region will be thrown open to the people. Thirty miles from Billings we iss POMPEY'S PILLAR, column of yellow sandstone rising abruptly be tween us and the river to the height of 400 feet, its base covering nearly an acre of ground. About half way up on the north side is the inscription, ' William Clarke, July 25, 1806," carved by the associate of Captain Lewis on his return from the first expedition across the continent. Thirty miles further on we reach the mouth of BIG HORN, the stream made famous by the terrible massacre of General Custer and his command by the Sioux under Sitting Bull. Up the river a few miles is Fort Custer, a military post on the reservation, named in honor of the falLn hero. Below the mouth of Big Horn, which is its largest tributary, the Yellowstone is navigable by steamers of 300 tons. At this point, also, the valley become, broader and the annual rainfall rapidly increases, so much so that irrigation ceases to be necessary. Still following down the valley, the road leaves the teservation and enters MILES CITY, . situated on the bank of Tongue river at its junction with the Yellowstone, and 146 miles from Billings. Though but a new town it has two newspapers, two banks, a population of 2,000, and has become quite a trade and shipping point. Surrounding it is a large section of valuable agricultural land that is being rapidly settled upon by an industrious class of people. Fort Keogh is within two miles of the city and on the opposite side of Tongue river. For the next eighty miles the valley proper widens considerably, and the upper country back of it sinks from mountain ridges into high, rolling hills, much of it fine farming and grazing lands and other portions broken and rocky. The land on both sides improves materially after Powder river is crossed, and there are farms lying open for the occupancy of thousands of industriou, families. From Tongue river the road run, for eighty miles farther along the south bank of the Yellowstone, which here flows in a northeasterly direction, until it finally leaves that stream at CLENDIVE, and strike, off across th 3 country eatward. Thi is the place where the railroad makes connection with steamers plying on the Yellowstone, and is the commercial and shipping point for an immense agricultural and grazing region. Not only the valley lands, but the whole country embraced be tween the Yellowstone and Missouri, from Glen dive on the one to the mouth of Judith river on the other, comprising an area of more than 5 square miles, is farming land of the finest quality The dividing ridge between the two stream, ha, almost, disappeared at this point, and the whole country is one grand, rolling prairie, covered with nutritious grass, having a rich, loamy wiL and watered by numerous ttreams and a bounli